2012 Santos Tour Down Under, Pro Cycling News

2012 Pro Cycling Season Kicks Off in Australia With Tour Down Under

(Photo by 2011 Tour Down Under winner Cameron Meyer won the overall by 2 seconds. (Getty))

ADELAIDE, Australia, Jan. 14, 2012 (AFP) — Home favorite Simon Gerrans is hoping that competing in Australia's green and gold colors will spur him to a second overall victory at the Tour Down Under, which begins on Sunday.

Gerrans, who has won stages in all three grand tours of Italy, France, and Spain, started his 2012 season in style by claiming a first national road crown last week. Now he's looking to add the winner's ocher jersey from the opening tour stage, but faces a challenge from big names including Spaniard Alejandro Valverde, German former winner Andre Greipel, and Norway's Edvald Boasson Hagen.

"I'm enjoying being marked as one of the favorites for the race, and I'll be wearing this national champions jersey with pride," Gerrans, a winner in 2006, said on the eve of the race Saturday.

Although GreenEdge teammate Cameron Meyer triumphed over Matt Goss in 2011 while racing for Garmin, Gerrans is arguably the team's best chance as it debuts Sunday as the first ever Australian-registered outfit in the professional peloton.

A competitive field, however, means the task ahead is tough.

Valverde, of Movistar, is making his competitive comeback following a two-year doping ban after he was implicated in the Operation Puerto drugs scandal in 2006. Prior to his ban, Valverde was one of the most talented riders in the peloton, with tactical nous and determination to match.

In the past a number of sprinters have triumphed at the race, although the course also suits the all-round talents of Edvald Boasson Hagen. A two-time stage winner at last year's Tour de France, the Norwegian is said to be on form after a hard winter training regime, including a Team Sky camp in Mallorca.

The chances of a sprinter winning again, however, cannot be ruled out. Nearly all six stages are sprinter-friendly, and there are time bonuses of 10, six, and four seconds on offer at the finish line for the first three finishers.

"With the format of this year's race it's really wide open as to who the favorites are," Gerrans said. "Whether it's going to be a sprinter that's performing really well or maybe one of the others who are sort of punchier climbers.

"The guys that are traditionally going well in January—Andre Greipel, Luis Leon Sanchez, and the comeback of Valverde, he's one to watch fairly closely as well. There's quite a few guys we’ll be keeping our eyes on."

After Monday's rest day, the race proper starts on Tuesday with a 149km section from Prospect to Clare. It ends Sunday with a 90 km street race in Adelaide.

Aussies Savor 'Historic' Moment

Australia's steady rise up the world cycling hierarchy will reach its peak on Sunday when the GreenEdge team makes its debut at the Tour Down Under. Since the pioneering Phil Anderson became the first non-European to wear the Tour de France yellow jersey in 1981, Australians have been consistently ranked among the world's best cyclists.

Now GreenEdge, the first Australian team in the top tier of the pro peloton, is hoping to continue a heritage made even richer by Cadel Evans' landmark victories at the 2009 world championships and 2011 Tour de France. So far, GreenEdge doesn't possess a rider like Evans, who continues to ply his trade with Swiss-backed American outfit BMC. Grooming its own yellow jersey contender, however, is part of sporting director Matt White's plan.